This invention relates to an apparatus for delivering substantially spherical products into a substantially rectangular container having an open top.
A prior apparatus is known from Dutch patent NL 1001697. Although the known apparatus in itself is reasonably satisfactory, there is a need for a machine having a higher capacity, where the risk of damage to the products is reduced still further. The roller conveyor used in the known apparatus has the disadvantage that it conveys incompletely filled rows of products to the delivery element. As a result, the container is not filled with complete rows, so that the products P are yet to be displaced within the container. Such displacement may entail damages. When such displacement is not done in the container, the container H will not be optimally filled with products P.
To solve problems in the art, the apparatus according to the invention is provided by an apparatus for delivering substantially spherical products into a substantially rectangular container having an open top. The apparatus includes a deliver element arranged to be movable up and down relative to the container. The container is movable in horizontal a direction relative to the delivery element. The delivery element has at least one endless conveyor which is provided with supporting elements which define a number of supporting surfaces extending substantially in horizontal direction. An intermediate conveyor is ranged upstream of the delivery element which the delivery element is aligned with the delivery element and arranged for row-to-row transfer of the products to the delivery element. A vibrating feeder is arranged upstream of the intermediate conveyor and has a discharge side aligned with an infeed side of the intermediate conveyor. The vibrating feed has an infeed side alignable with a discharge conveyor of another apparatus. The apparatus also has a comb-shaped threshold plate which serves as threshold and inclined slightly upwards, when viewed in the conveying direction.
The invention also provides a method for delivering substantially spherical Products into a substantially rectangular container having an open top. The method includes ordering the products coming from a discharge conveyor of another apparatus in a particular desired pattern with the aid of a vibrating operation using a slightly inclined comb-shaped threshold plate which serves as a threshold. Further, the method includes picking up and placing in the substantially rectangular container the products while in such pattern.
The vibrating feeder provides for the formation of completely filled rows of products which are taken over in rows by the intermediate conveyor, which proceeds to transfer each time a completely filled row to the delivery element. As a result of the presence of the vibrating feeder, the container is filled with complete rows of products, so that the products do not need to move within the container anymore to fill up xe2x80x9cholesxe2x80x9d in the product pattern already present in the container. Moreover, the apparatus according to the invention provides the possibility of processing products having mutually considerably different dimensions. In particular when the products are natural products, such as, for instance, apples, paprikas or like fruits or vegetable products, this property is of particularly great importance.
To still further improve the delivery of the products by the delivery element into the container, according to a further elaboration of the invention, adjacent a delivery end of the delivery element, a positioning device is connected with the delivery element, which positioning device is provided with a V-shaped receiving cavity for receiving a row of products which has been delivered by the delivery element, the V-shaped receiving cavity being rotatable about an axis extending in horizontal direction. It is then preferred that an open side of the V-shaped receiving cavity is closable with the aid of a guard, which guard is rotatable about a second axis concentric with the first axis. It is then recommended to operatively tune the rotation of the V-shaped cavity and the guard to each other, such that when filling the V-shaped cavity with products and emptying it, the impacts sustained by the products are minimal. With the aid of the positioning device, a highly controlled delivery of products to the container is accomplished.